You’ve just come home after a long day. You’re tired, and all you want is to curl up on the couch with a good book. Your dog has other ideas, though. He’s running around the house, bouncing on and off furniture, and dropping toys in your lap. Worse yet, while you were out, he got into your sock drawer and there are socks all over the floor. This has got to stop!
You can help your dog be calmer (and stay out of your sock drawer) by providing him with things to do while you are away. Professional animal trainers call this “enrichment.” The goal of enrichment is to give an animal productive outlets for his natural drives.
Our pet animals descend from non-domesticated species that were evolutionarily programmed to perform certain tasks to survive — and some of that programming lingers. Cats naturally hunt small prey. Dogs naturally scavenge for food. But for pets in our homes, we provide food, water, and shelter for free. I am not suggesting you stop providing your pet with any of these things, but one good way to enrich your pet’s life is to increase the challenge involved in getting food.
(Photos by Irith Bloom)
Here are some simple things you can do as enrichment for your pet:
- Instead of feeding from a bowl, use a food toy that turns eating into a puzzle or game. Many of my clients love the Northmate Green Feeder and Catch products. Other favorites include the Buster Soft Cube, Kong Wobbler, and of course the Classic Kong toy.
- Create “hunting” opportunities for your pet by hiding either food toys or individual pieces of dry food in a variety of places around the house for your pet to find while you are out.
- Do short, five-minute treat-training sessions with your pet first thing in the morning and soon after you return home. Just a few minutes of training will help keep your pet productively stimulated, and you can even use his regular food for the training.
You can also use barriers to limit your pet’s access to areas where your pet does not behave appropriately. For example, to prevent your sock drawer from being “sacked,” put a latch on the drawer or shut the bedroom door when you leave.
(Photos by Irith Bloom)
Just a few small changes can make a big difference in your pet’s — and your — happiness!
Irith Bloom is a dog owner, animal trainer and owner of The Sophisticated Dog, LLC. Learn more at thesophisticateddog.com.
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